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Gator Tales: In Or Out?

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 13, 2009

Updated: 03/14/2009 12:11 am

Heading into Friday night's SEC Tournament quarterfinal game, the Florida Gators were 23-9 and 9-7 in the league's regular-season games. The Auburn Tigers were 21-10 and 10-6 in the SEC regular season.

But regardless of Friday night's result, neither Florida nor Auburn was considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Since the field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, only six 20-win teams from the SEC were excluded from an NCAA at-large selection.

If the Gators don't make the NCAA field, they will set a league record for having the most overall victories and being relegated to the NIT. If Auburn doesn't make the NCAA field, it will be the first 10-6 SEC team sent to the NIT since the league began divisional play in 1992.

And don't forget the other SEC teams - such as South Carolina (21-9, 10-6), Mississippi State (21-12, 9-7) and Kentucky (20-13, 8-8) - that might be on the outside looking in.

"I have seen plenty of times where teams are sitting there and they're flabbergasted they didn't get in," Gators coach Billy Donovan said. "Then you see guys who are so shocked they got in, they're so appreciative and happy. You're always going to have that.

"It's one of the allures of the NCAA Tournament. That's why people watch. The adulation, the excitement, and there's also the disappointment. For me, all that stuff doesn't make a difference. I'm not in the selection room. I don't know how we're viewed. I haven't been told by anybody we're in or we're not in. The whole mindset is you've got to be ready to play the next game."

BYPASSED

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to a 64-team format in 1985, these 20-win SEC teams were sent to the NIT.

Ranking the five best performances in Friday's SEC Tournament quarterfinals:

1. Marcus Thornton, LSU - The SEC Player of the Year got out of the gate quickly - scoring 10 points in the game's first five minutes - and finished with a game-high 21 in the Tigers' 67-58 win against Kentucky.

2. Barry Stewart, Mississippi State - He had 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half against South Carolina, including the 3-pointer that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good.

3. Tasmin Mitchell, LSU - He did a little bit of everything - 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals - against Kentucky.

4. J.P. Prince, Tennessee - Ditto. Prince had 14 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots against Alabama.

5. Tyler Smith, Tennessee - Smith had a game-high 22 points and six rebounds against Alabama.

COMPARING THE CONFERENCES

If the SEC gets just three bids to the NCAA Tournament - as most pundits are predicting - it would tie the low-water mark for a BCS conference in the past decade (ACC in 1999 and 2000, Big Ten in 2004, Pac-10 in 2004). Here's a year-by-year look at NCAA bids for each of the BCS conferences, plus the decade's highlight:

LSU senior Garrett Temple was the primary defender on Kentucky's Jodie Meeks, the nation's fifth-leading scorer. Meeks was limited to eight points (on 3-for-9 shooting from the floor), his only single-digit scoring effort this season. Temple, whose defensive idol is Scottie Pippen, lists his keys to become an effective defensive player:

•Never give up.

•Always play with your heart.

•Study the game and your opponent's tendencies.

•"Defense is big," Temple said. "Everybody wants to be the big scorer. But Meeks was averaging 25 points and he got just eight. To me, that's like giving our team 17 points. That's how you win."

NIT-PICKING

Kentucky's streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (17 straight from 1992-2008) is all but officially over. "Even I would call it a long shot being selected for the NCAA field," said Wildcats coach Billy Gillispie, whose team fell to 20-13 after Friday's 67-58 loss against LSU. UK appears headed to the NIT for the first time since 1979.

Potential matchups? Maybe former Wildcats athletic director C.M. Newton, the NIT selection committee chairman, can keep these in mind:

•Kentucky vs. Davidson - Jodie Meeks vs. Stephen Curry.

•Kentucky vs. Cincinnati - The Wildcats once vowed they would never play at Cincinnati after the 1984 freeze-the-ball classic (UK 24, UC 11). There have been a handful of meetings ever since, but why not renew this regional classic.

•Kentucky vs. Minnesota - Billy Gillispie vs. Tubby Smith. Potential sticking point: The Golden Gophers might make the NCAA field.

•Kentucky vs. Texas A&M - Billy Gillispie vs. his old school. Potential sticking point: The Aggies might make the NCAA field.

•Kentucky vs. VMI - UK's revenge!

WORKING OVERTIME

It was a short night for Bill Raftery, who worked the six-overtime Big East Tournament game between Syracuse and Connecticut for ESPN, then arrived in Tampa on Friday to prepare for Sunday's SEC Tournament championship game on CBS.

Raftery, predictably, said the six-OT classic was the most memorable game of his broadcasting career.

"It's very rare for me to be up that late without a cocktail in my hands," Raftery said.

Raftery said he expected to be leaving Madison Square Garden shortly before midnight. Instead, he got home after 3 a.m.

"It was so fun to be a part of that," Raftery said. "When it was over, the guys at the broadcast table and in the truck all stood and applauded for those kids. What a magnificent effort."

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